A man who police say buried his 1988 Cadillac Allante convertible under tons of tree clippings to collect on insurance has said he will turn himself in today, authorities said. William Dunlap, the car's owner and a co-owner of The Wood Yard, instructed his office manager to tell authorities that he would surrender when he returns from a Texas business trip, according to Gregory A. Hutchinson, a senior special agent with the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

The car stolen most often in the U.S. last year - for the fourth year in a row - was the 1994 Honda Accord, according to the annual Hot Wheels report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Next, thieves liked to go for the 1998 Honda Civic, according to the report from the nonprofit group that focuses on theft and insurance fraud prevention. Honda vehicles have been the two most popular autos for thieves since 2005. The third-most-stolen car was a full-size 2006 Ford pickup.

Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys remained the most popular vehicles among thieves last year, but high-end light trucks gained ground as popular targets for pilfering, the National Insurance Crime Bureau said in its latest list Monday. Accords and Camrys were followed by the Chevrolet C/K pickup truck, Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee sport-utility vehicles, Honda Civic, Oldsmobile Cutlass, Ford F-series pickup, Ford Mustang, Dodge Caravan and Toyota Corolla.

Professional burglars working in the Westside and Mid-Wilshire areas have targeted more than 50 BMWs in recent months, making away with expensive auto parts but leaving behind cellphones and laptop computers. Air bags that cost thousands of dollars to replace and high-end headlights are being carefully removed from BMW 3 Series and 5 Series models, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Det. Mike Smith, an expert on auto burglaries, said the LAPD's Wilshire Division has seen "close to 40 of these crimes" since April and the West Los Angeles Division has seen 14. "We believe this thief or thieves are getting into these vehicles in record time."

Richard Siddons was riding his bicycle, minding his own business, when all of a sudden-- Wham!--he was sideswiped by a car making a right turn from a freeway exit in Woodland Hills. But like a broken record, the accident repeated itself again and again, at least 20 times, authorities said. Each time, he allegedly pressured the auto driver into paying him $20 to $75 in "damages" on the spot.

You're driving home from work through downtown Los Angeles when a crowded car suddenly pulls in front of your new BMW. Seconds later, another car speeds up, cutting off the first car in front of you. The driver slams on the brakes. You slam on yours, but everything happens so quickly, you end up rear-ending the car in front of you. To make matters worse, the vehicle that triggered the accident flees before you can get a license number. Your nightmare is just beginning.

Professional burglars working in the Westside and Mid-Wilshire areas have targeted more than 50 BMWs in recent months, making away with expensive auto parts but leaving behind cellphones and laptop computers. Air bags that cost thousands of dollars to replace and high-end headlights are being carefully removed from BMW 3 Series and 5 Series models, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Det. Mike Smith, an expert on auto burglaries, said the LAPD's Wilshire Division has seen "close to 40 of these crimes" since April and the West Los Angeles Division has seen 14. "We believe this thief or thieves are getting into these vehicles in record time."

Motorists unable to afford payments on pricey cars and gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles in this recession are turning to a time-tested financing solution: matches. Insurance cheats are torching their vehicles in remote deserts. They're pushing them off cliffs. They're sinking them in lakes or ditching them in Mexico in the hopes of getting their policies to pay off, fraud investigators say. Nationwide, suspicious vehicle fires or arson increased 27% in the first quarter of this year compared with a year earlier, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an industry-supported agency that investigates all types of insurance fraud.

The car alarm, that infernal disrupter of sleep, that chirping, whooping, honking blight on the soundtrack of Southern California life, is suddenly grabbing notice for something good. It might actually be stopping crime. Experts say an explosion in the use of alarms and other automobile security devices--from the Club to satellite-age tracking systems--is among the chief reasons for a steady decline in car thefts in Los Angeles and nationwide from the epidemic levels of several years ago. That decrease showed up markedly last year in Los Angeles, where about 5,000 fewer cars were stolen than in 1995.

The car stolen most often in the U.S. last year - for the fourth year in a row - was the 1994 Honda Accord, according to the annual Hot Wheels report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Next, thieves liked to go for the 1998 Honda Civic, according to the report from the nonprofit group that focuses on theft and insurance fraud prevention. Honda vehicles have been the two most popular autos for thieves since 2005. The third-most-stolen car was a full-size 2006 Ford pickup.

Motorists unable to afford payments on pricey cars and gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles in this recession are turning to a time-tested financing solution: matches. Insurance cheats are torching their vehicles in remote deserts. They're pushing them off cliffs. They're sinking them in lakes or ditching them in Mexico in the hopes of getting their policies to pay off, fraud investigators say. Nationwide, suspicious vehicle fires or arson increased 27% in the first quarter of this year compared with a year earlier, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an industry-supported agency that investigates all types of insurance fraud.

You're driving home from work through downtown Los Angeles when a crowded car suddenly pulls in front of your new BMW. Seconds later, another car speeds up, cutting off the first car in front of you. The driver slams on the brakes. You slam on yours, but everything happens so quickly, you end up rear-ending the car in front of you. To make matters worse, the vehicle that triggered the accident flees before you can get a license number. Your nightmare is just beginning.

Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys remained the most popular vehicles among thieves last year, but high-end light trucks gained ground as popular targets for pilfering, the National Insurance Crime Bureau said in its latest list Monday. Accords and Camrys were followed by the Chevrolet C/K pickup truck, Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee sport-utility vehicles, Honda Civic, Oldsmobile Cutlass, Ford F-series pickup, Ford Mustang, Dodge Caravan and Toyota Corolla.

The car alarm, that infernal disrupter of sleep, that chirping, whooping, honking blight on the soundtrack of Southern California life, is suddenly grabbing notice for something good. It might actually be stopping crime. Experts say an explosion in the use of alarms and other automobile security devices--from the Club to satellite-age tracking systems--is among the chief reasons for a steady decline in car thefts in Los Angeles and nationwide from the epidemic levels of several years ago. That decrease showed up markedly last year in Los Angeles, where about 5,000 fewer cars were stolen than in 1995.

Richard Siddons was riding his bicycle, minding his own business, when all of a sudden-- Wham!--he was sideswiped by a car making a right turn from a freeway exit in Woodland Hills. But like a broken record, the accident repeated itself again and again, at least 20 times, authorities said. Each time, he allegedly pressured the auto driver into paying him $20 to $75 in "damages" on the spot.

A man who police say buried his 1988 Cadillac Allante convertible under tons of tree clippings to collect on insurance has said he will turn himself in today, authorities said. William Dunlap, the car's owner and a co-owner of The Wood Yard, instructed his office manager to tell authorities that he would surrender when he returns from a Texas business trip, according to Gregory A. Hutchinson, a senior special agent with the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Authorities have arrested 31 people on suspicion of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud during a three-county sweep of auto body shops. The arrests came after a yearlong investigation by the California Department of Insurance's fraud division, the California Highway Patrol and the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Investigators posing as insurance policyholders asked body shop workers for fake documentation to support fraudulent insurance claims.